NWR: The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

[Comte Flaneur]

http://www.metrolyrics.com/rs

Is this accurate, is this fair? Discuss - over to you Chasse Spleen but please anyone else start the ball rolling...

[JimHow]

Back in 1982, my brothers and I were climbing Mt. Katahdin here in Maine with another of our friends.
We were seventies rockers.

At the summit of the mountain I said that the two songs tied for greatest ever were:

Like A Rolling Stone (ranked #1)
Symthany for the Devil (ranked #32)

[Comte Flaneur]

I think Rolling Stone did a good job...I think English critics, who under-rate the Stones, would have a very different list with a lot of dubious and some more modern acts, but I think this is a good selection - like the 1855 (oh shoot I am getting lead pencil now in the Louviere) classification (aside from a few abberrations - Prince? WTF?)

[JimHow]

I watched the whole eight part Beatles Anthology a few months back, very poignant.
That band deserves every top one hundred rating that they get.
The concert they did in DC right after the Ed Sullivan Show but before they got to Miami was really something.

[JimHow]

Prince is one of my top three live acts of all time, the other two being British, can you guess them?

[Comte Flaneur]

When I listen to the Beatles I have this overwhelming feeling of respect and awe of their creative genius...A Day in the Life...what a song...with the Stones it is very different...their ability to adapt - transmogrify - from a pop band that played second fiddle to the Beatles to a serious and somewhat sinister rock bank in tune with the times as the 60s dream turned - their golden period of 68-72, only much later was the 71-72 period recognised for its greatness amid all the glamrock.

[Comte Flaneur]

Prince is one of my top three live acts of all time, the other two being British, can you guess them?

The Who and the Stones

[JimHow]

Very good, The Who and Paul McCartney.
I've seen the Stones three times, they're up there. They did Fenway Park a few years ago, great show.
Of course, Dave Beckwith will tell you that the Grateful Dead concert in Lewiston that I went to in September 1980 was one of the epic live Dead performances.
I saw Queen in a 2000 seat venue in Lewiston circa 1976 when they had long hair... amazing....

[Chasse-Spleen]

That's one band that I'm sorry I missed seeing, among many others of course but because their heyday coincided with the time that I was going to many concerts: Queen

Also: The Smiths

[Chasse-Spleen]

Lists like these are really great fun but also really political and therefore really stupid when it comes to judging art on merit. Is The Message by Grandmaster Flash really a better song than California Dreamin'? Did anyone ever write a better song than California Dreamin'? Maybe as good certainly, but listing them in order is really bizarre. They always have to have a punk song in the top ten (Nirvana) and some rap songs that are usually bad examples of the genre. Anyway, it's cool. People learn from these things. I had this Rolling Stone issue long ago that had the 100 best albums - this was the first list issue that they came out with, I think - and I discovered a lot of great albums through that. Like REM's Murmer, T-Rex Electric Warrior, and many others. I wish I still had it. I don't know how I could have ever thrown it out, but I do that sometimes.

But hey! What about Trout Mask Replica???

[stefan]

I can almost forgive the kids making up the list leaving off Lightnin', but no Robert Johnson?!?!?!

[stefan]

And anything by Nirvana in the top 10000?

But of course most of the songs on the list are great.

[Chasse-Spleen]

I didn't look at the whole list yet. If they left off Robert Johnson it's probably because they're keeping to rock/r&b/soul records or music that was made beginning in the rock era, ie mid-50s. I think they included him in their 100 greatest guitarists of all time list. He might have even been in the top 10.

[Harry C.]

I find it odd that the only David Bowie song is "Heroes".

[Comte Flaneur]

Harry - there are actually four Bowie songs - Heroes, Changes, Ziggy Stardust and Young Americans - so he is quite well represented - Elton John has five and Rod Stewart none, which is a bit of a swizz. I was listening to Atlantic Crossing tonight - great album, I think 'Sailing' should be in there.

[JimHow]

Can you guys spot the one-word mistake in the lyrics to "Sympathy for the Devil" without looking elsewhere....

[stefan]

There are many mistakes in lyrics, Jim.

Rod Stewart is there, Ian; I listened to Maggie May last night. There is another IIRC.

[stefan]

Dylan's Tambourine Man is 106 and the Byrd's sickening version is 79!?!?!

[Chasse-Spleen]

Maggie May would be a top twenty song for me, at least.

[Chasse-Spleen]

However, although I don't think the Byrds version of Mr. Tamborine Man is "sickening" ;0) I agree that I don't think it really belongs on the list. The original has the profundity, the Dylanesque, let's say the beauty of the statement of whatever it is he's talking about.

Anyway, it's fun to comment on this thread - thank you Rolling Stone!

[Comte Flaneur]

There are many mistakes in lyrics, Jim.

Rod Stewart is there, Ian; I listened to Maggie May last night. There is another IIRC.

Sorry you're righ stefan

Do ya think I'm sexy

[stefan]

No, but maybe Lucie does.

That is another good one.

[Corr]

(incendiary post warning!)

This list was written by a group of baby boomers, and is quite biased. If you knew nothing about pop music and read only the early part of this list, you'd think that nobody recorded anything worthwhile after 1980. Except, of course, for the notable exception that appears on every list of this nature (i.e. written by baby boomers who don't pay attention to modern music at all): Nirvana's famous but somewhat mediocre "Smells like Teen Spirit." By my unofficial count, U2's "One" is the only other post-1980 song in the top 50 of this list.

Look, I love the Stones, Beatles, Dylan, and their era-mates as much as the next guy and freely admit that they should hold the majority of the top spots on this list. The problem I have is that they hold basically ALL of the top spots on this list, basically implying that no memorable songs have been written in the past 30 years. I'm sorry, but that is just plain wrong.

On the plus side, many songs I would consider appear later in the list (300-500 range), and as a Clash fan I'm happy to see several of my favorites appear ("Complete Control", "White Man in Hammersmith Palais", "Train in Vain"). RIP Joe Strummer.

[Houndsong]

American Graffiti has the best soundtrack, even though I once thought those tunes were so lame as I was innoculated in the Beatles/British Invasion period.

[Claudius]

Guys
On a slightly different ote, someone posted a link to youtube in January I think which had Mick taylor playing Gimme Shelter live with the Stones.
Can't seem to find it now - does anyone have the link??

[JimHow]

I found it on youtube, Claudius, by typing in "Mick Taylor Gimme Shelter."

[Chasse-Spleen]

This is one of my favorite YouTube videos (I know, very old!) of the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxpfBWMO ... m-T_Jb8Y3Y

It offers a slightly different version of the song and an unusual group dynamic. Also, Brian Jones is playing a telecaster!There is a more visually radical version with the final single mix that was probably done on the same sound stage. The quality here is better though.

[Ramon_NYC]

That's a nice one Chris. Thanks for the link. A classic youtube, imho.
I didn't know that Jumpin' Jack Flash was already a Stones song in '65. Also, a rare moment that I see Charlie sweating while "bangin on dem drums like a chimpanzee".

I once got into a friendly banter with some guy who said that the Stones can be the Stones even without Mick Jagger. I said "no way".

Btw, why did you say that this version showed "unusual group dynamic"?

[Chasse-Spleen]

Ramon,
That video is from 1968 - I don't know why they put '65 in the title, it's totally wrong. I think the dynamic is a bit different because Mick & Keith look a little diffident almost, very atypical. Brian Jones is having a sort of last hurrah, even though the camera doesn't rest on him. He was much more of a visual focus of the group before they started to push him aside. Also, the dark image of the band is starting to fully emerge. It's a strange spot where the Brian Jones period overlaps with the Ya-Yas, Sticky Fingers period that followed.
-Chris

[Houndsong]

I don't think they ever played that live from the intro, just from the main riff, and I wonder why. I also thought the intro was the most interesting part of the song. Sounds like something getting wound up. It also is very evocative of the Street Fighting Man sound.

[Chasse-Spleen]

The intro is really cool. There's a great version by Aretha Franklin on which Keith plays rhythm, if I'm not mistaken.

[Comte Flaneur]

Guys
On a slightly different ote, someone posted a link to youtube in January I think which had Mick taylor playing Gimme Shelter live with the Stones.
Can't seem to find it now - does anyone have the link??

I think the one I saw got wiped off...but this is close, Mick Taylor as his majestic best. Enoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btyhKUvAaZU

Shades of Chasse Spleen